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143 reviews for:
EXACTLY: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
Simon Winchester, Simon Winchester
4.04 AVERAGE
143 reviews for:
EXACTLY: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
Simon Winchester, Simon Winchester
4.04 AVERAGE
Holy wow, that was a fascinating book.
I'm an engineer and I deal with repeatability and tolerances frequently so this book was personally interesting to me but considering how ubiquitous precision is, I'd think any one would find this interesting.
But dang, you don't really think about how much a need for precision permeates life. Almost anything not handmade really. If it runs down an assembly line, then holding tolerances is key to making sure every piece fits together with every other piece every time. So, anything you can get for cheap I guess.
And I found the story about the Hubble telescope especially fascinating. Showing what goes wrong when you a) aren't as accurate as needed and b) go cheap on a bid.
I'm an engineer and I deal with repeatability and tolerances frequently so this book was personally interesting to me but considering how ubiquitous precision is, I'd think any one would find this interesting.
But dang, you don't really think about how much a need for precision permeates life. Almost anything not handmade really. If it runs down an assembly line, then holding tolerances is key to making sure every piece fits together with every other piece every time. So, anything you can get for cheap I guess.
And I found the story about the Hubble telescope especially fascinating. Showing what goes wrong when you a) aren't as accurate as needed and b) go cheap on a bid.
As always enjoyed this so much - narrative nonfiction definitely my thing. fantastic ending witg reference to #Beijing Observatory & Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree - you learn something new everyday even from a city you loved to call home once.
informative
reflective
Absolutely fascinating, explores topics that I tend to take for granted or overlook and manages to explain them in a way that I understood. I'm sure there is still some of it that went well over my head, but I absolutely loved this book. Very thought provoking and interesting.
informative
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
This book was a well-measured blend of history and science. The vibe was that of Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, but the narrative was much more deliberate, each chapter building off the last. And the dives into the stories surrounding each advance were much deeper (naturally resulting in a much more focused selection of topics). Highly recommended to anyone who likes to know how things work, enjoys learning about how the world around us was made, and is not afraid to be amazed at the complexity invented by greater minds than our own.
informative
slow-paced
Generally I’m a big fan of Simon Winchester’s books. I just struggled to get through this one. I went back and forth on whether to give it 2 stars or 3. I landed on 3 because I think if someone is very interested in the topic they will enjoy this book. But me, I just couldn’t really get into it.
informative
slow-paced